Baseball Game Preview: Mendon Hornets vs. Climax-Scotts Panthers

Mendon is 0-3 against Climax-Scotts since April of 2022 but things could change on Tuesday. The Hornets will venture away from home to square off against the Panthers at 5:00 p.m. Mendon will be strutting in after a victory while Climax-Scotts will be coming in after a defeat.

Climax-Scotts will challenge a team with plenty of momentum: Mendon extended their winning streak to six on Thursday. The Hornets' pitcher stepped up to hand Burr Oak a 10-0 shutout.

The team relied heavily on Cam Bingaman, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with four stolen bases, three runs, and two RBI. Jerry Batten was another key player, getting on base in all three of his plate appearances with two stolen bases, two RBI, and one run.

Mendon always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .577. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Burr Oak only posted an OBP of .211.

Meanwhile, after a string of three wins, Climax-Scotts' good fortune finally ran out on Friday. They took a 9-4 hit to the loss column at the hands of Norrix.

Climax-Scotts saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Logan Gilbert, who went 1-for-4 with four stolen bases and two runs. Gilbert has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last four times he's played. Ben Nelson also deserves some recognition as he brought in his first RBI of the season.

Mendon's win was their fourth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 2-0. Those home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.8 runs over those games. As for Climax-Scotts, their loss dropped their record down to 3-2.

Mendon couldn't quite get it done against Climax-Scotts in their previous meeting back in May of 2024 as they fell 4-0. Can the Hornets avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.